Two members of staff from the Directorate of Journalism, Politics and Contemporary History, School of Arts and Media, have been shortlisted for the prestigious Whitfield Prize for 2018, awarded annually by the Royal Historical Society for the best first monograph on either British or Irish history. Dr Dan Lomas, Lecturer in International History, and Dr Brian Hall, Lecturer in Contemporary Military History, have both been selected by the jury for the shortlist. Dr Lomas’ book, entitled Intelligence, Security and the Attlee Governments, 1945–1951: An Uneasy Relationship? was published by Manchester University Press, while Dr Hall’s book, Communications and British Operations on the Western Front, 1914-1918, was published by Cambridge University Press.
Alaric Searle, Professor of Modern European History, and Research Lead for Politics and Contemporary History, said, “I am delighted for both Brian and Dan, not just because they are excellent colleagues but also because they are developing into equally excellent historians in their own right. ”
To be eligible for the Whitfield Prize, a book must be the author’s first published work, on a subject of British or Irish history, and the author must have received his/her PhD from a British or Irish university. The other authors shortlisted received their doctorates from the universities of Oxford, Royal Holloway, King’s College London, Queen’s Belfast and Birmingham. As Alaric noted: “What makes this recognition all the more noteworthy is that both Dan and Brian received their PhDs from the University of Salford; and, Salford has never had either a member of staff, or a former Salford PhD student, shortlisted for this award. Thus, to have two nominations in the same year is a great achievement. It provides just one more indicator of the quality of research being conducted in Politics and Contemporary History at the moment.”
He added: “I am not that surprised about the nomination as I know the quality of work both Dan and Brian have been publishing. In fact, Brian’s book was shortlisted earlier this year for the Templar Medal for the Best First Book, awarded by the Society for Army Historical Research.”
The winner of the Whitfield Prize is to be announced next month by the Royal Historical Society, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.